A pipeline project that will transport water from the West Bank to their East Bank neighbors faces more delays because Army Corps of Engineers rejected the site where the pipe was to originally cross the river.
The pipeline will provide crucial back-up water supplies to East Bank residents in case their overstressed, outdated water treatment facility fails or can’t meet demands. The pipeline will also allow waterworks to repair and upgrade the ailing East Bank plant while continuing to supply water to the residents.
Parish public works director Robert Brou says that although the initial crossing will provide some water to East Bank residents, the Corps rejected the second site where the pipeline was to cross the river, a move that could delay the completion of the project for months.
“We still need a water treatment facility,” Brou said. “But our immediate goal is to supply enough water to the East Bank residents.”
The second proposed crossing from Lussan Lane in Luling to Plantation Business Park in Destrehan hasn’t received approval.
Brou says the Army Corps of Engineers, the Pontchartrain Levee Board, the Lafourche Levee Board, and the Department of Transportation and Development still have to give approval in order to begin the work at the second crossing.
“The parish council has already approved the act of sale on the property belonging to the Lussan family, now we just have to get the other approvals,” Brou said.
Brou said the last permit to begin work on the first crossing, which is Highway 3160 at the River Road in Hahnville, took 18 months to secure.
Linking the two crossings will allow the East Bank to take advantage of excess treatment capacity from the West Bank plant.
“We started with a combined project, Crossing 1 and Crossing 2,” Brou said. “Crossing 1 starts at Highway 3160, the River Road at Hahnville.”
Brou said Crossing 2 was supposed to connect the first portion of the project, or Crossing 1, with a link through Monsanto and end at Maddock Street near land owned by the Bunge Grain Elevator. Brou says that the Army Corps of Engineers shut that crossing down because it would have been too close to the slope line of the levee.
“Although we submitted three different proposals to correct the problem, the Corps rejected all three, ultimately forcing us to come up with a new area for Crossing 2,” he said. “Crossing 2 is now scheduled to start at Lussan Lane in Luling and end near Destrehan Plantation at the Business Park.”
Brou says the second crossing hasn’t received the green light from the Army Corps of Engineers, but he’s confident it will.
“We’ve learned from the last time around what to do and how to go about applying for this permit,” he said. “I feel certain that the Corps will OK this Crossing because we knew what to look for before submitting anything to them this time around.”
Brou says after Hurricane Katrina the demand for water went through the roof.
“Once we get the waterline crossing done, it will help to meet the increased demand on the water supply,” he said. “We do need the water treatment plant rebuilt on the East Bank. Although this is a good solution, the facility needs to be replaced.”
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